The Lord's Glory Returns to the Temple
1 The man took me back to the east gate of the temple, 2 where I saw the brightness of the glory of Israel's God coming from the east. The sound I heard was as loud as ocean waves, and everything around was shining with the dazzling brightness of his glory. 3 This vision was like the one I had seen when God came to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I had seen near the Chebar River.
I immediately bowed with my face to the ground, 4 and the Lord's glory came through the east gate and into the temple. 5 The Lord's Spirit lifted me to my feet and carried me to the inner courtyard, where I saw that the Lord's glory had filled the temple.
6 The man was standing beside me, and I heard the Lord say from inside the temple:
7 Ezekiel, son of man, this temple is my throne on earth. I will live here among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will never again disgrace me by worshiping idols at local shrines or by setting up memorials to their dead kings. 8 Israel's kings built their palaces so close to my holy temple that only a wall separated them from me. Then these kings disgraced me with their evil ways, and in my fierce anger I destroyed them. 9 But if the people and their kings stop worshiping other gods and tear down those memorials, I will live among them forever.
10 The people of Israel must suffer shame for sinning against me, so tell them about my holy temple. Let them think about it, 11 then if they are truly sorry, describe for them the design and shape of the temple, the gates, the measurements, and how the buildings are arranged. Explain the regulations about worshiping there, then write down these things, so they can study and obey them.
12 The temple area on my holy mountain must be kept sacred! This is the most important law about the temple.
The Altar
13 According to the official standards, the altar in the temple had the following measurements: Around the bottom of the altar was a gutter 50 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep, with a 25-centimeter ledge on the outer rim. 14-17 The altar rested on a base and had three sections, each one of them square. The bottom section was 8 meters on each side and one meter high. The middle section was 7 meters on each side and 2 meters high, and it had a 25-centimeter rim around its outer edge. The top section, which was 6 meters on each side and 2 meters high, was the place where sacrifices were burned, and the four corners of the top section looked like the horns of a bull. The steps leading up to the altar were on the east side.
The Dedication of the Altar
18 The Lord God said:
Ezekiel, son of man, after the altar is built, it must be dedicated by offering sacrifices on it and by splattering it with blood. Here is what you must do: 19 The priests of the Levi tribe from the family of Zadok the priest are the only ones who may serve in my temple—this is my law. So give them a young bull to slaughter as a sacrifice for sin. 20 Take some of the animal's blood and smear it on the four corners of the altar, some on the corners of the middle section, and some more on the rim around its edge. That will purify the altar and make it fit for offering sacrifices to me. 21 Then take the body of the bull outside the temple area and burn it at the special place.
22 The next day, a goat that has nothing wrong with it must be offered as a sacrifice for sin. Purify the altar with its blood, just as you did with the blood of the bull. 23 Then choose a young bull and a young ram that have nothing wrong with them, 24 and bring them to my temple. The priests will sprinkle salt on them and offer them as sacrifices to please me.
25 Each day for the next seven days, you must offer a goat and a bull and a ram as sacrifices for sin. These animals must have nothing wrong with them. 26 The priests will purify the altar during those days, so that it will be acceptable to me and ready to use. 27 From then on, the priests will use this altar to offer sacrifices to please me and sacrifices to ask my blessing. Then I will be pleased with the people of Israel. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, euen the gate that turneth towarde the East. 2 And beholde, the glorie of the God of Israel came from out of the East, whose voyce was like a noyse of great waters, and the earth was made light with his glorie. 3 And the vision which I saw was like the vision, euen as the vision that I sawe when I came to destroy the citie: and the visions were like the vision that I sawe by the riuer Chebar: and I fell vpon my face. 4 And the glorie of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate, whose prospect is towarde the East. 5 So the Spirite tooke me vp and brought me into the inner court, and beholde, the glorie of the Lord filled the house. 6 And I heard one speaking vnto me out of the house: and there stoode a man by me, 7 Which saide vnto me, Sonne of man, this place is my throne, and the place of the soles of my feete, whereas I will dwell among the children of Israel for euer, and the house of Israel shall no more defile mine holy Name, neither they, nor their Kings by their fornication, nor by the carkeises of their Kings in their high places. 8 Albeit they set their thresholdes by my thresholdes, and their postes by my postes (for there was but a wall betweene me and them) yet haue they defiled mine holy Name with their abominations, that they haue committed: wherfore I haue consumed them in my wrath. 9 Now therefore let them put away their fornication, and the carkeises of their Kings farre from me, and I will dwell among them for euer. 10 Thou sonne of man, shew this House to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their wickednes, and let them measure ye paterne. 11 And if they be ashamed of all that they haue done, shew them the forme of the House, and ye paterne thereof, and the going out thereof, and the coming in thereof, and the whole fashion thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the figures thereof, and all the lawes thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keepe the whole fashion thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12 This is the description of the house, It shalbe vpon the toppe of the mount: all the limites thereof round about shalbe most holy. Beholde, this is the description of the house. 13 And these are the measures of the Altar, after the cubites, the cubite is a cubite, and an had breadth, euen the bottome shalbe a cubite, and the breadth a cubite, and the border thereof by the edge thereof rounde about shalbe a spanne: and this shalbe the height of the altar. 14 And from the bottome which toucheth the ground to the lower piece shalbe two cubites: and the breadth one cubite, and from the litle piece to the great piece shalbe foure cubites, and the breadth one cubite. 15 So the altar shalbe foure cubites, and from the altar vpward shalbe foure hornes. 16 And the altar shalbe twelue cubites long, and twelue broade, and fouresquare in the foure corners thereof. 17 And ye frame shalbe foureteene cubites log, and fourteene broade in the fouresquare corners thereof, and the border about it shalbe halfe a cubite, and the bottome therof shalbe a cubite about, and the steps thereof shalbe turned towarde ye East. 18 And he said vnto me, Sone of man, thus saith ye Lord God, These are ye ordinances of ye altar in the day when they shall make it to offer the burnt offring thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. 19 And thou shalt giue to the Priestes, and to the Leuites, that be of the seede of Zadok, which approch vnto me, to minister vnto me, saith the Lord God, a yong bullocke for a sinne offring. 20 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the foure hornes of it, and on the foure corners of the frame, and vpon the border round about: thus shalt thou clense it, and reconcile it. 21 Thou shalt take the bullocke also of the sinne offring, and burne it in the appointed place of the house without the Sanctuarie. 22 But the second day thou shalt offer an hee goat without blemish for a sinne offring, and they shall clense ye altar, as they did clense it with the bullocke. 23 When thou hast made an ende of clensing it, thou shalt offer a yong bullocke without blemish, and a ram out of the flocke without blemish. 24 And thou shalt offer them before ye Lord, and the Priestes shall cast salt vpon them, and they shall offer them for a burnt offring vnto ye Lord. 25 Seuen dayes shalt thou prepare euery day an hee goate for a sinne offring: they shall also prepare a yong bullocke and a ramme out of the flocke, without blemish. 26 Thus shall they seuen dayes purifie the altar, and clense it, and consecrate it. 27 And when these dayes are expired, vpon the eight day and so forth, the Priests shall make your burnt offrings vpon the altar, and your peace offrings, and I will accept you, saith the Lord God.